Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Jubail

For one person, living is cheaper in Jubail: $1,100 a month against $1,608 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Mexico City, Mexico
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
Mexico City
🇲🇽 Mexico
$1,608
/mo nomad
Jubail
🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia
$1,100
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Jubail

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Mexico City and in Jubail actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,608 in Mexico City versus $1,100 in Jubail.

  • Mexico City $1,608
  • Jubail $1,100

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,549 in Mexico City versus $1,720 in Jubail.

  • Mexico City $2,549
  • Jubail $1,720

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,490 in Mexico City versus $2,339 in Jubail.

  • Mexico City $3,490
  • Jubail $2,339

Living in Mexico City is roughly 46% more expensive than in Jubail, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 18% above, Jubail is 19% below.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mexico City
Jubail
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$10.62 MX$198
$6.82 SAR 25.61
55.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$48.35 MX$901
$39.32 SAR 148
22.97%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.35 MX$193
$9.07 SAR 34.03
14.11%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$1.92 SAR 7.22
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.29 SAR 8.60
-
Cappuccino
$3.69 MX$68.8
$3.99 SAR 14.98
-7.52%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.67 MX$31.07
$1.00 SAR 3.74
67.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.59
$0.28 SAR 1.06
353.57%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.19 MX$59.5
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.31 MX$98.9
-
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
Jubail
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 MX$32.15
$1.50 SAR 5.61
14.67%
White Bread (500g)
$3.04 MX$56.7
$1.45 SAR 5.45
109.66%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.62 SAR 6.09
19.75%
Eggs
$2.89 MX$53.8
$2.06 SAR 7.74
40.29%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.97 MX$205
$9.82 SAR 36.86
11.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$9.25 MX$172
$6.44 SAR 24.17
43.63%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$15.13 MX$282
$12.15 SAR 45.58
24.53%
Apples (1kg)
$3.05 MX$56.8
$2.24 SAR 8.39
36.16%
Banana (1kg)
$1.94 MX$36.19
$1.76 SAR 6.60
10.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 MX$37.75
$1.56 SAR 5.87
30.13%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 MX$43.15
$1.69 SAR 6.35
36.69%
Potato (1kg)
$2.04 MX$37.94
$1.29 SAR 4.85
58.14%
Onion (1kg)
$1.80 MX$33.55
$1.40 SAR 5.25
28.57%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.48 MX$27.58
$1.75 SAR 6.56
-15.43%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.27 MX$23.63
$0.54 SAR 2.04
135.19%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
-
$3.00 SAR 11.27
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$2.19 SAR 8.21
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.03 SAR 7.63
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$5.30 MX$98.9
$6.64 SAR 24.91
-20.18%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.10 MX$300
-
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.98 MX$36.97
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.25 MX$79.3
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
Mexico City
Jubail
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 MX$5.69
$1.31 SAR 4.91
-76.34%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.73 MX$368
$23.90 SAR 89.7
-17.45%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.84 MX$34.25
$3.25 SAR 12.21
-43.38%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 MX$9.94
$2.74 SAR 10.27
-80.66%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.30 MX$98.7
$13.54 SAR 50.8
-60.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.51 MX$28.16
$0.61 SAR 2.27
147.54%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.8K MX$405.5K
$26.8K SAR 100.5K
-18.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$447.1K
$21.7K SAR 81.4K
10.63%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
Jubail
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$63.0 MX$1,174
$80.1 SAR 301
-21.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.39 MX$511
$27.36 SAR 103
0.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.67 MX$665
$66.1 SAR 248
-46.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
Jubail
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$58.9 MX$1,099
$104 SAR 391
-43.39%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.64 MX$441
$39.93 SAR 150
-40.80%
Cinema Ticket
$6.40 MX$119
$13.58 SAR 51.0
-52.87%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mexico City
Jubail
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$432 MX$8,045
$178 SAR 668
142.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$11.4K MX$212.9K
$7,690 SAR 28.9K
48.54%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
Jubail
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$68.2 MX$1,272
$42.14 SAR 158
61.89%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$53.1 MX$990
$59.3 SAR 222
-10.39%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 MX$2,009
$80.1 SAR 300
34.62%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$117 MX$2,186
$86.6 SAR 325
35.48%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
Jubail
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,113 MX$20.8K
$424 SAR 1,591
162.59%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$710 MX$13.2K
$295 SAR 1,105
141.23%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$2,588 MX$48.2K
$667 SAR 2,502
288.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,406 MX$26.2K
$520 SAR 1,951
170.45%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,631 MX$67.7K
$2,743 SAR 10.3K
32.37%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,135 MX$39.8K
$1,396 SAR 5,240
52.90%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mexico City
Jubail
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$946 MX$17.6K
$1,605 SAR 6,022
-41.05%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.35
5.62
101.96%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Mexico City: October 25, 2026

Last update for Jubail: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mexico City
$710
Jubail
$295 58.5% $416
Groceries & Markets
Mexico City
$320
Jubail
$199 37.7% $121
Eating Out
Mexico City
$199
Jubail
$135 32.1% $64
Clothing & Footwear
Mexico City
$156
Jubail
$121 22.6% $35
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mexico City
$126
Jubail
$174 37.7% $48
Sport & Entertainment
Mexico City
$72
Jubail
$131 83% $60
Getting Around
Mexico City
$25
Jubail
$46 81% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,113 in Mexico City and $424 in Jubail. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Jubail pays 70% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $48 in Mexico City vs $39 in Jubail for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $320 vs $199 per month, with Jubail cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇲🇽 Mexico City
🇸🇦 Jubail
🕒 Local time
22:03 10:03 PM
07:03 7:03 AM
9 h ahead of Mexico City
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,209,944 Capital
337,778
💱 Currency
Saudi Riyal SAR ر.س
Exchange rates and currency converter

SAR, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 18.64 MXN (100 MXN = 5.36 USD). 1 EUR = 20.75 MXN (100 MXN = 4.82 EUR).

Saudi Riyal exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 3.75 SAR (1 SAR = 0.266 USD). 1 EUR = 4.18 SAR (1 SAR = 0.239 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mexico City Jubail 13,850 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mexico City
  • Jubail

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Mexico City vs Jubail: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mexico City or Jubail?
Jubail wins on cost – living expenses run 32% lower than in Mexico City. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Jubail the obvious pick if budget is a priority.
Are salaries higher in Mexico City or in Jubail?
On paper, salaries run 41% lower in Mexico City. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.
How much does a 1-bedroom apartment cost in Mexico City compared to Jubail?
Rent for a central apartment: $1,113 in Mexico City versus $424 in Jubail. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How much does it cost to live in Mexico City compared to Jubail?
All in, you’ll spend $1,608 per month in Mexico City versus $1,100 in Jubail – Jubail is about 32% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.
How expensive is transport in Mexico City compared to Jubail?
A monthly transit pass in Mexico City runs roughly 17% less than in Jubail. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mexico City or in Jubail?
Both cities are expensive relative to $1,000. Jubail is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Mexico City or Jubail?
Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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